Tufting button



Dee 1933- w. B. MATHEWSON 1,941,409

TUFTING BUTTON Filed March 20, 1933 x 2 InvenTor.

Wilfred B. MoThewson b mwyw A'Hys.

3335 in the appendedclaims.

" i Wilfred- B; Mathewsoii, North vwe'ymfouth; Mass; Y

- assig'nor to UnitedMattres'sMachinery Comp'any 'Quiney Mass a corporation of Maine 1- Clainisl; (o1.- 24 -eo) i v [T is invention relates a; tufting buttons such -a;;:are-used' for cutting mattresses, cushions; up.- holstery and the like;

Oneimethodof tufting mattresses; cushions and 5 the like is to insert through-themattressgcushionor: other varticle aloop Oftufting cord or tufting tape'withthe two sides of: the loop spaced from each other and. then'to tie the'ends of the cordor tape togetherrmThis operation produces a knot 10 on'theoutside of the mattress or other article at one end ofv the loop. To complete the tufting operation a tuftingbutton is frequently attached to theexposed ends of the loop' onone orcbothsides of the mattress or otherfiarticles The presence of theknot at-one 'end the loop on the outside'of the'mattressmakes it diflicult, if not impossible to apply an ordinary tufting button tothe knotted .end' of the loop and consequently some mattress:manufacturers have-re 2 sorted to :the operation of "drawing; the knot through the tickingof zthe mattress into the interior thereof in order to enable atufting button 7 to be applied to each end of the loop.

It is one of the objects of the present invention 5 to provide an improved form of tufting button which is constructed so that it may readily be.

' applied to the knotted end of the loop of tufting cord and whensopapplied the knot will be located within the tufting button and thus concealed from .view. a

In order to give an' understanding of theinvention I have illustrated in the drawing a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described after which the novel features will be pointed out Fig/1 is a fragmentary sectional view through a mattress or similar article showing a loop of tufting :co'rd' inserted through the mattress and knotted;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing my improved tufting button appliedrto bothends of the'loop of tufting cord; I

Fig. 3 is back side view of a tufting button embodying my invention; r

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing it applied to the knotted end of a loop of tufting cord Fig. 5 is a side view of a tufting button embodying'myinvention; r r Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6, Fig. 4; t e V In the drawing 1 indicatesa portion of a mattress, cushion or other article and 2 indicates a loop of tufting cord or tufting tape' which has been inserted in the-mattress.- This loop coma prises the two side portions-3 and 4 which extend through the mattress or other articlel andare thus be concealed from ing tied together onone face of-the mattress as shown by the knot 5. This loop of tufting .cord presents-the portion 6 which: isexposed on one face of the mattress andthe portioifil havingthe knot5 thereinwhich is exposedon the otherfface spaced from; each other the ends of theloop be-' I of the mattress. Theportion 6; of the tufting cord will, of course, be free of knots. t It isfreduently desirableto apply a tufting button not only tothe exposed knotless portion 6 of the loop 2 'onone side of 'themattress but also to the knotted portion 7, of; the looppon thepther side of the mattressrand the tufting button which forms the subject of the present inventionhas, beendesigned so that it can be as readilyapplied to' the knotted portion '1 of the loop as to-ithe knotless portion 6. Moreover, my improvedtuftingibutton is of sucha character that when it is v appliedto the knotted portion '7 of; the loop :the knot 5 w 1 be confined within the button and will A tufting-button embodying my front portion 10, both portions being made of sheet material and being connected together in usual manner along the periphery of the button as shown at 11. a v v v The back 9 of the button is formed with an opening 12 of asiz'e to readily admit the knot 5 andit is also formed with cord-retaining fingers extending outwardly from the back on two opposite sides of :said opening 12, said fingers being indicated at 13 and 14respe'ctively. On each of the other two opposite sides of the opening 12, to wit, thelsides indicated at 15; the back 'is deformed to present a cord-receiving groove 16 which leads'into the opening 12.

The'fing'ers 13 and 14 are bendable from their closed or cord-retainingposition shown in Figs;

4 and 6 and when they are bent into their closed I position said fingers fill the opening 12. For

this purpose the fingers 13 on one side of the opening '12 have a staggered arrangement with,

relation to the fingers 14 on theoppositeside of invention is indicated generally at 8 and it is herein shown the opening. Said fingers may conveniently be formed by providing a zig-Zag slit in ,the back 9' of the button aspshown at '17 in Fig. 4Jand j then bending the portions indicated, at,13 in Fig.4 outwardly to form the fingers 13 and simi larly bending theportions indicated at l4 in Fig. 7 h

4 outwardly to form the fingers l4. Thebending of these por tions 13and l4outwardly from the back of the button produces an opening 12 as be obvious.-,

In applying the tufting button to the tufting cord one set of fingers, to wit, the fingers 13 or the fingers 14, is inserted underneath the exposed portion of the loop, whether the knotless exposed portion 6 or the knotted exposed portion '7, and the button may be manipulated so that it will occupy a position between said exposed portion of the loop and the mattress with the front of the button against the mattress and the fingers 13, 14 projecting outwardly. If the button is being applied to the knotted portion 7 will of the loop this operation will result in placing the knot 5 in the opening 12 in the back of the button. The fingers 13 and 14 are then bent downwardly from their open position shown in Figs. 3 and 5 into the closed position shown in Figs. 4 and 6 thereby attaching the button to the loop and thereafter the button may be turned about the exposed portion of the loop to bring the face of thebutton into an exposed position and to carry the back of the button against the mattress. When the button has been thus attached to the mattress the loop of tufting cord or tufting tape passes through the grooves 16 into the interior of'the button and extends behind the closed fingers l3 and 14.

The provision of the opening 12 which is subsequently closed bythe fingers provides a tufting button which can be readily applied to the knotted portion 7 of a tufting cord or tufting tape and when it is so applied the knot 5 will bewithin' the button. If the button is of the type having" a front portion then the knot is entirely concealed from view but if the tufting button is of the type which comprises simply the back portion 9 then, of course, the knot would still be exposed.

I claim:

1. A tufting button having an opening in its said back on two opposite sides of the opening, said back being'formed to present a cord- -receiving groove on each of the other two opposite sides of said opening, said fingers being bendable from their open position into a cordholding position in the plane of the back and when in the latter position filling the opening;

7 3-. A mattress or the like having a loop of tufting cord extending therethroughpwith the sides of the loop spaced from each other and the ends of said sides tied together in a knot located on the exterior surface of the mattress. a'tufting button formed in its back with an opening of asize to receive said knot and with cordreceiving grooves leading into the opening on two of .the opposite sides thereof, cord-retain- .ing fingers extending from the other two opposite sides of saidopening, said fingers extending between the knotted portion of the loop and the mattress and having an interleaved relation and also filling said opening, whereby'the knot of the loop is located on the interior of the button.

4. A tufting button comprising a back portion of sheet material provided with a zig-zag slit thereby forming two series of interleaved fingers which whenbent outwardly from the back form an opening between them with the fingers projecting'from the back on opposite sides of the opening, said back being formed on the other two opposite sides of the opening with a cord- .receiving passage leading to said opening.

" 1 1 WILFRED B. MATHEWSON. 

